Imaging device and authentication device using the same

Abstract

An image pick-up device comprises a first image pick-up unit for taking an image of a left eye of a subject, a second image pick-up unit for taking an image of a right eye of the subject, a first lighting unit for illuminating the left eye of the subject, a second lighting unit for illuminating the left eye in a direction intersecting an image-taking optical axis of the second image pick-up unit, a third lighting unit for illuminating the right eye of the subject, and a fourth lighting unit for illuminating the right eye in a direction intersecting an image-taking optical axis of the first image pick-up unit.

1 . An image pick-up device comprising:
 a first image pick-up unit for taking an image of a left eye of a subject;   a second image pick-up unit for taking an image of a right eye of the subject;   a first lighting unit for illuminating the left eye of the subject;   a second lighting unit for illuminating the left eye in a direction intersecting an image-taking optical axis of the second image pick-up unit;   a third lighting unit for illuminating the right eye of the subject; and   a fourth lighting unit for illuminating the right eye in a direction intersecting an image-taking optical axis of the first image pick-up unit.   
   
   
       2 . The image pick-up device of  claim 1 , wherein quantities of light of the first lighting unit through the fourth lighting unit are individually adjustable. 
   
   
       3 . The image pick-up device of  claim 2 , wherein each of the first lighting unit through the fourth lighting unit comprises a plurality of light-emitting elements, and the quantities of light produced by the first lighting unit through the fourth lighting unit are adjusted individually by changing a number of the light-emitting elements to be lit. 
   
   
       4 . The image pick-up device of  claim 2 , wherein each of the first lighting unit through the fourth lighting unit comprises a plurality of light-emitting elements, and the quantities of light produced by the first lighting unit through the fourth lighting unit are adjusted individually by varying a driving current supplied to each of the plurality of light-emitting elements. 
   
   
       5 . The image pick-up device of  claim 2 , wherein each of the first lighting unit through the fourth lighting unit comprises a plurality of light-emitting elements, and the quantities of light produced by the first lighting unit through the fourth lighting unit are adjusted individually by a combination of changing a number of the light-emitting elements to be lit and varying a driving current supplied to each of them. 
   
   
       6 . The image pick-up device of  claim 2 , wherein the quantities of light of the first lighting unit and the second lighting unit are adjusted individually according to angles of light projecting directions thereof with respect to the image-taking optical axis of the first image pick-up unit, and the quantities of light of the third lighting unit and the fourth lighting unit are adjusted individually according to angles of light projecting directions thereof with respect to the image-taking optical axis of the second image pick-up unit. 
   
   
       7 . The image pick-up device of  claim 3  further comprising a lighting controller for controlling lighting of the first lighting unit through the fourth lighting unit individually, wherein the lighting controller selectively lights up the first, second, third and fourth lighting units one after another in a predetermined lighting pattern. 
   
   
       8 . The image pick-up device of  claim 7 , wherein the predetermined lighting pattern includes lighting up of any of the second lighting unit, the fourth lighting unit, both the first and the second lighting units, and both the third and the fourth lighting units. 
   
   
       9 . The image pick-up device of  claim 7 , wherein the lighting controller controls individually the quantities of light produced by light sources of the first lighting unit to the fourth lighting unit in a manner to maintain consistency of the lighting intensities on both the right eye and the left eye of the subject according to a combination of the predetermined lighting patterns. 
   
   
       10 . An authentication apparatus comprising:
 the image pick-up device of  claim 1 ; and   an authentication unit for authenticating as to whether the subject is a person registered beforehand by using eye images taken on both the right eye and the left eye of the subject with the image pick-up device.   
   
   
       11 . The authentication apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the authentication unit comprises:
 an authentication information generator for generating authentication information respectively representing the right eye and the left eye of the subject from the eye images taken with the image pick-up device;   a comparator for comparatively verifying the authentication information of the right eye and the left eye generated by the authentication information generator with authentication information registered beforehand; and   an authentication determiner for determining whether the subject is an individual registered beforehand by comparing a degree of matching obtained as a result of the comparative verification by the comparator with a predetermined threshold.   
   
   
       12 . The authentication apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the authentication determiner makes the determination as to whether the subject is an individual registered beforehand by using at least one of the authentication information of the right eye and the left eye. 
   
   
       13 . The authentication apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the authentication information comprises an authentication code generated by encoding an iris area of the eye image.